North Cedar Community School District

What North Cedar Community School District does

North Cedar Community School District is a public K-12 school district and political subdivision of the State of Iowa, governed by an elected five-member Board of Education and led by Superintendent Mark Dohmen. The district serves approximately 700-800 students across four small communities in east-central Iowa — Clarence, Lowden, Mechanicsville, and Stanwood — operating through four facilities: a Jr/Sr High School (grades 7-12, ~250 students) in Clarence, two elementary schools (Lowden Elementary and Mechanicsville Elementary, each preschool through grade 6), and Little Knights Learning Centers providing early childhood care at both elementary locations. Core academic offerings include AP coursework at the secondary level, STEM programming supported by two dedicated labs and two STEM staff, a College and Career Planning program (Career Quest 2.0 in partnership with Kirkwood Community College and My Academic Plan via Iowa State University), and the standard Iowa curriculum overseen by the Iowa Department of Education.

The district's technology infrastructure is anchored by a 1:1 device initiative: over 600 iPads deployed to elementary classrooms and over 400 MacBook Air laptops issued to junior and senior high students, supplemented by three DoubleRobots telepresence units, flat-screen televisions with Apple TV, and interactive whiteboards with projectors. Administrative and instructional operations are centralized on a conventional EdTech stack — PowerSchool for student information and online registration, Google Mail for student email, Follett Destiny for library management, SchoolPay and EduTrak for fees and meal accounts, the Remind app for parent notifications, Hudl for athletics broadcasting, Frontline for HR, and TeachIowa for job postings. Compliance is governed by the Iowa Department of Education (Iowa Report Card, financial reporting), Iowa Department of Public Health (immunizations), and the National School Lunch Program (meal nutrition standards).

Revenue mechanics are entirely those of a public school district: state foundation aid per pupil, local property taxes, federal Title and IDEA funds, National School Lunch Program reimbursements, and modest direct payments from families for meals (PreK-4 lunch $3.60; 5-12 lunch $3.90; reduced-price $0.40) and other fees via SchoolPay. Supplemental funding flows through community-rooted organizations — Athletics Boosters, Elementary Boosters, the Encore Club (fine arts), and the North Cedar Education Foundation — alongside small donations from local businesses. Reported student outcomes include 80%+ proficiency on math and reading assessments and scores at or above Iowa state averages.

Name

North Cedar Community School District

Legal name

North Cedar Community School District

Website

https://north-cedar.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

North Cedar Community School District is a public K-12 district in east-central Iowa serving ~700-800 students across four rural communities (Clarence, Lowden, Mechanicsville, Stanwood) via four schools spanning early childhood through grade 12, with a 1:1 device program, STEM labs, and full nutrition/transportation/health services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Rural school district
• Early childhood education
• School nutrition services
• Student transportation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

North Cedar Community School District is a rural public K-12 school district that delivers preschool-through-grade-12 education to approximately 700-800 students across four east-central Iowa communities (Clarence, Lowden, Mechanicsville, and Stanwood). It operates four schools — a Jr/Sr High School, two elementary schools, and Little Knights Learning Centers — and supplements core academics with athletics, extracurricular clubs, college and career guidance, technology-rich STEM programming, school nutrition, health, and transportation services.

Product overview

North Cedar Community School District is a rural K-12 public school district serving approximately 700-800 students across four Iowa communities. The district operates as a unified educational platform consisting of four school facilities: Jr/Sr High School (grades 7-12) offering advanced placement and career-focused coursework; two elementary schools (Lowden Elementary and Mechanicsville Elementary) serving preschool through grade 6; and Little Knights Learning Centers providing early childhood education and childcare. The district complements core academics with enrichment modules including college/career guidance services, comprehensive athletics and activities programs, technology integration with 1:1 device initiatives and STEM labs, school nutrition and health services, and transportation. Student information management is centralized through PowerSchool, with payments via SchoolPay and EduTrak, and communication through the Remind App and Google Mail.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jr/Sr High School Education Comprehensive junior and senior high school education serving about 250 students in grades 7-12, offering advanced placement courses, STEM education, agricultural education, business classes, family consumer science, industrial arts, and extracurricular activities.
• Lowden Elementary School Elementary school serving students in preschool through sixth grade, offering music, art, and physical education enrichment programs alongside core academics.
• Mechanicsville Elementary School Elementary school serving students in preschool through sixth grade, providing enriching programs including music, art, and physical education.
• Little Knights Learning Centers Early childhood education and childcare program offering infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age care at both Lowden and Mechanicsville centers, including three-year-old preschool programs. CACFP-registered centers providing social, emotional, physical, and academic learning experiences.
• College and Career Planning Services Guidance services including ACT test preparation, college research assistance, scholarship information, career planning through Kirkwood Community College partnership, and four-year academic planning using the My Academic Plan platform.
• Athletics Programs Comprehensive athletics program for junior high and senior high students including baseball, basketball, cheer, cross country, dance, football, golf, softball, track, volleyball, and wrestling. Competitions through Tri-Rivers Conference with live broadcasting via Hudl.
• School Nutrition Program Meal services following National School Lunch Program guidelines, offering daily breakfast and lunch to all students. Manages meal accounts through EduTrak and SchoolPay systems, with a free and reduced lunch program for qualifying families.
• School Health Services Health services including full-time district nurse, trained staff in each building, medication administration, health screenings, vision and hearing screening, dental screening, and influenza vaccination programs.
• Transportation Services Bus transportation services between all district communities with professionally licensed drivers, regular training, and activity shuttle buses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ of students achieve 'proficient' or 'above' on math and reading assessments
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Grant Wood AEAcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArea Education Agency providing educational support, resources, and professional development to district staff. Website links provided for both Grant Wood AEA and Grand Wood AEA references.
• Kirkwood Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership brings college and career programming to all 8th grade students through the Career Quest 2.0 program, which evaluates students' interests, skills, values, and personality types to determine career fit. Also provides access to Kirkwood Programs of Study for high school students.
• Iowa College FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides college planning resources and connections to member schools for students pursuing higher education.
• PowerSchoolcoreTechnology or IntegrationStudent information system used for registration, grades, and parent portal access.
• National School Lunch ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal program providing nutritional guidelines for school meals with specific requirements for fruits, vegetables, fats, calories, and sodium.
• Tri-Rivers ConferencecoreOthersAthletic conference for sports scheduling and competition with neighboring schools.
• Athletics BoostersminorOthersParent organization raising funds through concession stands and seeking community donations for uniforms and materials to support student athletes.
• Encore ClubminorOthersParent organization supporting fine arts programs including band, choir, drama, art, and speech. Hosts concession stands as major fundraiser.
• North Cedar Education FoundationminorOthersNonprofit foundation providing financial support to broaden district education opportunities.
• Iowa Department of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides immunization guidelines and requirements that the district follows for student health compliance.
• Iowa Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOversees district reporting, financial reports, and school performance metrics including the Iowa Report Card.
• Hills BankminorOthersDonated $779.51 to support Student Productions through the Classroom Cash Program.
• Grant Wood Gothics Granny BasketballminorOthersDonated $75.00 to support district programs.
• Mechanicsville Telephone Co.minorOthersDonated $200 Silver Cord Scholarship.
• Lowden Dental AssociatesminorOthersDonated $250 Silver Cord Scholarship.
• Cedar Chiropractic & Acupuncture ClinicminorOthersDonated $150 Silver Cord Scholarship.
• Christian Community Church of MechanicsvilleminorOthersDonated $344 to Mechanicsville Student Productions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Mount Pleasant Community School District: Mount Pleasant CSD is a rural southeast Iowa community school district with similar enrollment scale and a multi-building K-12 structure. Comparable in governance, funding mix, and rural community-embedded staffing model.
• Williamsburg Community School District: Williamsburg CSD is a rural east-central Iowa school district of similar size serving a small-town catchment. Directly comparable in scale, governance, and the structural challenges of delivering a comprehensive K-12 program in a rural Iowa setting.
• Tipton Community School District: Tipton CSD is a rural east-central Iowa school district with comparable enrollment scale and a Cedar County geographic footprint. Directly comparable as a small consolidated community district serving a single small town and surrounding area under the same Iowa Department of Education regulatory regime.
• West Liberty Community School District: West Liberty CSD is a small eastern Iowa school district serving a similar multi-community catchment. Comparable in scale, reliance on state aid, and the operational challenges of serving a small rural population with a full K-12 program plus early childhood offerings.
• Solon Community School District: Solon CSD is a small-to-mid-sized Iowa public school district serving a similarly scaled rural-to-suburban community in eastern Iowa. Comparable in operating model (multi-building K-12 district), funding structure (state aid + local property tax), and competitive dynamics for attracting and retaining families in their catchment area.
• Wilton Community School District: Wilton CSD is a rural Iowa school district of similar enrollment scale operating multiple school buildings across a small-town catchment. Shares the same multi-community consolidation logic, Iowa state funding dependency, and rural demographic exposure as North Cedar.
• Maquoketa Community School District: Maquoketa CSD is a rural eastern Iowa community school district of comparable enrollment scale. Operates under the same Iowa funding regime and faces the same rural demographic and small-staffing structural pressures as North Cedar.
• Clear Creek-Amana Community School District: Clear Creek-Amana CSD is a fast-growing eastern Iowa school district formed through multi-community consolidation along the I-380 corridor. Relevant as a comparable consolidation model and similar multi-building K-12 structure, though currently benefiting from suburban growth rather than rural decline.

Broad incumbents

• Cedar Rapids Community School District: Cedar Rapids CSD is the largest school district in eastern Iowa and a major destination for open-enrollment transfers from surrounding rural districts. Functions as a broad incumbent that competes with North Cedar for families and students via expanded programming, while operating under the same state regulatory framework.

Regional players

• Clinton Community School District: Clinton CSD is an eastern Iowa Mississippi River regional school district operating under the same Iowa Department of Education oversight. Comparable as a multi-building K-12 public district in the same geographic region, though serving a more urban industrial catchment rather than purely rural communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nccsd
• Xx.com/northcedarcsd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Cedar Community School District